Chronic Condition
by MonkandMiko
Summary: RoundRobin. As Kagome's absences from school grow longer and more frequent, her twentiethcentury friends begin to suspect that her grandfathers excuses are merely cover for a single chronic condition...More inside. MirKag.
1. Hidden Truths

**Title:** Chronic Condition  
**Author:** Megami  
**Rating:** PG-13 ( T ) – for supposed premarital relations, false (?) teen pregnancy, and lots of other unforseen events in future chapters.  
**Summary:** As Kagome's absences from school grow longer and more frequent, her twentieth-century friends begin to suspect that her grandfathers excuses are merely cover for a single chronic condition. With no more diseases springing to mind, the eldest Higurashi proclaims his granddaughter PREGNANT! With Miroku (in)conveniently around, the situation becomes more complicated...

The long-awaited RR begins...NOW!

* * *

**Chapter One:** Hidden Truths 

"Just get off!"

"I do apologize, Kagome-sama. Are you unhurt?"

"No! You're squeezing too hard!"

"Is this better?"

"LET GO!"

"N-now, Kagome-sama, there's no need to get viol – "

There was a small crack as Miroku's head lashed backwards, a heel planted in his chin. Had he not been so confined within the ancient walls of the enchanted well – and firmly attached to his time-traveling companion – the monk would have been catapulted several feet away.

"I can't believe you!" Kagome huffed from beneath him, grinding her loafer into his jaw. "Not only did you grab me, but you sent us tumbling down the well! You're lucky that we didn't both break our necks!"

"An unfortunate oversight on my part," Miroku gulped, a shadow of his charming smile trembling on his face. "I am truly sorry."

Kagome snorted. "You should be."

"Kagome-sama...?"

"What?"

"Is that pattern on your undergarments of butterflies or flowers?"

"PERVERT!"smack, crash, slap. "We never should have let you join our group! 'Pious monk,' my _butt_!"

"Ah! Kagome-sam – ahh! Don't you think you might be – ouch! – overreacting just a – eep – little?"

"NO!" thwack, bam. "This is exactly why your grandfather got cursed, in case you've forgotten!"

"Augh! Not there, Kagome-sama, I beg you! _Have mercy_!"

Dust rose up from the depths of the well in an ominous cloud, rising up toward the ceiling of the dilapidated well house. Thin streams of sunlight filtered through the thick mass and shone down on the chaos hidden within the shadow of the parched well. Aside from the squeals of pain and screams of fury, the scene was innocently tranquil.

"You've only been traveling with us for a month – one single month – and you've practically molested me fifty-three times! Fifty-three!" Kagome snarled, pressing her nose against the monks to stare him straight in the eyes. "And I've lost count of how many times I've refused to bear your children!"

Miroku held his hands up in his usual placating gesture, offering peace to the enraged female pinning him to the bare ground and up against the splintering wall of the Bone-Eaters Well. With her knees astride his hips, he should have been enjoying the situation more. "Forgive me, Kagome-sama. I meant you no disrespect. I deeply and sincerely wish to make the future mother of my children very ful – "

"ARGH!" Kagome lowered her head and growled in exasperation. Her white-knuckled fists buried in Miroku's robes trembled with withheld rage. "You don't listen at all, do you? I told you a million times already that giving you offspring is NOT my mission in life!"

"Did you hear something?"

Kagome's ears perked at the sound of another person in the immediate vicinity, instantaneously causing pause in her struggles. She held Miroku by the front of his robes, one hand still raised to strike his cheek another time, and listened as two others responded.

"Yeah, voices. I thought one of them sounded like Kagome-chan."

"Sounded like it was coming from that little hut-thingie over there. Maybe we should check it out."

"Shh!" Kagome held a finger to her lips in a silent signal for the monk to cease speaking, as well.

"Kagome-sama? Is there something wro – ?"

"_SHH_!"

With one of Kagome's hands clamped over his mouth, Miroku finally resigned himself to silence. The twentieth-century miko strained her hearing and caught the unmistakable sounds of a rickety wooden door shifting on its track. After minimal progress, the noise halted with a final clatter.

"Stupid – thing – it's stuck!"

Kagome released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding in a quiet whoosh.

"Here, let me try."

"No way. You're even weaker than I am."

"I am not!"

"You are so!"

"Am not!"

Kagome covered her own mouth this time as she accidentally allowed a sharp gasp to escape her mouth. '_Not good not good not good..._'

"Ish somefing wong, 'gome-sama?" Miroku asked, voice muffled behind her silencing hand.

In a cautious whisper, Kagome replied quickly. "Thanks to you, we're in my time and about to be caught by my friends from school. How am I supposed to explain being at the bottom of an old well with a monk from the feudal era?"

Miroku reached up and gently pulled her hand away from his mouth by the wrist. With his free hand, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Quite a vexing conundrum, indeed."

With another glare, Kagome hissed, "Thanks. That helped."

"This thing is broken! Where did the old man go?"

"I think he's still talking to himself by that big tree. He probably hasn't noticed that we ditched him yet."

"Dang...if we go get him now, he'll just go on another spiel about demons and mystical jewels. Let's all just pull on the door together, okay?"

"'Kay!"

"Sounds good."

"Alright, on the count of three. One..."

"Oh, no...," Kagome could feel the blood draining from her face as she heard her three friends getting into the position for proper leverage. She leaped to her feet and reached out to the metal rungs attached to the weather-beaten wall of the well, tripping over Miroku as she went.

"...two..."

"Stay here!" Kagome ordered, lifting herself up onto the ladder and climbing as quickly as she could. Her school-sanctioned loafers – which were no good in the past, either – slipped and slid on the rusted metal rungs, but she didn't allow improper shoes to slow her down.

"Be careful, Kagome-sama!"

"SHH!"

The door was rattling with tension as Kagome reached the top, swung a leg over, and shifted her weight to remove herself entirely from the ancient magical structure.

"...THREE!"

The rotting plank of wood preventing uninvited visitors was no match for the combined might of three modern day school girls and, with only a single groan of resistance, it split across the middle and fell to the rickety floor. Coughing and swearing in a cloud of swirling dust, three uniformed schoolgirls were revealed in a burst of sunlight, falling over each other with excess momentum.

"You pulled too hard, Eri!"

"You weren't pulling hard enough!"

"Yes I was!"

"Was not!"

"Was so!"

"Hey, guys!" Kagome interrupted, waving from her seat on the lip of the well. Her cheery smile was a little forced, but the three other girls hardly ever noticed, anyway. "Long time no see."

"Kagome-chan!" Ayumi cried, abandoning the two other squabbling girls in the doorframe and practically leaping down the stairs to greet her long-lost girlfriend. She pounced on Kagome and clung tightly. "Kagome-chan! What are you doing down here in your condition?"

'_Another 'condition'...Thanks, Grandpa_.'

"Omigod! You're showing already!" she squealed, poking at the flat plain of Kagome's abdomen. "Or are you just retaining water? If your feet are swelling already, Hojou-kun says he has a great homeopathic remedy for that."

"Huh?" Kagome blinked, frozen in confusion. "Why would my feet be swelling up?"

"Oh!" Ayumi blushed and elicited a nervous giggle. She turned to the other two girls, wavy hair flaring about her head, and shared a look with them. "I forgot it was supposed to be a secret."

"Nicely done, 'Yumi-chan," Yuka sighed, holding a troubled hand to her forehead.

A vein was throbbing in Eri's forehead. "Yeah, so much for the subtle approach."

"Sorry..."

Kagome sighed as well. 'I guess Grandpa has given me a real nasty disease this time...I wonder what would make my feet swell up.'

The time-traveling teen jumped as something thumped loudly from within the well behind her.

Ayumi craned her neck to look beyond Kagome for the source of the noise. "Eh? What was that?"

With a hard shove, Kagome forced her friend into an about-face and thrust her in the direction of the dilapidated staircase. "Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Maybe the cat! Hey, let's go get some snacks, okay?"

"Wow, are your cravings starting already, Kagome-chan?"

Kagome stopped dead, palms still pressed firmly into her friend's back, in the middle of the back yard. "'Cravings'?"

Eri thwacked Ayumi upside the head with an open palm. "Stupid! Those don't start until later! Okay, Kagome-chan," the short-haired girl whipped her head around to Kagome, her headband askew. "Spill. Who is it? That two-timing boyfriend of yours? Hojou-kun says he hasn't seen you anymore than we have over the last few months so we _know_ it can't be him."

Kagome blinked at them, bewildered.

"Come _on_, Kagome-chan!" a visibly frustrated Yuka joined in the interrogation from Kagome's left, blocking her in. "You can tell us! We just wanna know who this punk is so we can kick his cheating ass for you."

Kagome squirmed on the spot, strangely uncomfortable with where this conversation was going. "You mean InuYasha?"

"Yeah, him. The one that keeps running after his ex-girlfriend like a lovesick puppy,"

"Oh...kay. What about him?" Kagome's gaze darted between her three friends who wore expressions of varying degrees of irritation. She had a horrible feeling about where all of this runaround was going...did they know about her trips to the past? "I still have no idea what you're getting at."

"Argh!" Yuka cried, reaching up to tug at her chin-length hair by the roots. "I know this is a big secret and everything, but you can give it up already. Your grandpa already told us what's _really_ been keeping you out of school these last few months."

Kagome slapped a hand to her forehead. '_Yeah, he **would** slip up and tell someone about me going to the feudal era...I'm just surprised that someone was listening to him ramble long enough to figure it out!_'

"Yeah, and we're a little upset that you didn't tell us yourself," Eri agreed, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's like you don't trust us to help you when you need it, or something. We're your _friends_, Kagome, and we're not gonna abandon you over this, if that's what you were thinking! It happens to a _lot_ of girls these days!"

"Eh?" Kagome stared at Eri, incredulous. "Like _who_?"

"Well, Yuri from class three had to drop out because of it," Ayumi pointed out, a knowledgeable finger lifted.

"And that third year – Satoshi, or whatever – had to apply to get an after school job to support his girlfriend after _she_ got – " ( 1 )

Kagome held up a silencing hand, cutting Yuka off mid-sentence. "Wait, wait. What does any of this have to do with my feet swelling? I mean, I know I have to walk a lot, but..."

The three girls exchanged looks. Eri turned back to Kagome with a raised eyebrow. "What are you _talking _about?"

"What are _you_ talking about?" Kagome countered.

"Stop being so damned evasive!" Yuka stomped her foot. "We _know_ you're pregnant, Kagome!"

"Wh-what?" Kagome choked on her disbelief. "_Pregnant_?"

"After your grandpa told us," Eri continued, ignoring her sputtering friend. "We were, like, 'omigod! That explains so much!' I mean, if your morning sickness is as bad as he says, it's no wonder that you can't make it to school!"

"And all your grandpa's whacked out excuses were a little suspicious," Yuka said, nodding sagely. "Who gets Ebola this time of year, anyway?" ( 2 )

'_...only a little?_'

"It also explains why you won't go out with Hojou-kun," Ayumi added. "I don't think _I'd_ be interested in dating either if I was having another man's baby."

"I...you...," Kagome couldn't string her thoughts into a coherent sentence. Her tongue was thick and heavy with the words she needed to say, the excuses she needed to make to set her back on the right track.

"If that skeezy boyfriend of yours is out of the picture, this _InuYasha_," Yuka's nose wrinkled as if simply saying his name left a bad taste in her mouth. "Then don't worry about him anymore. You still have us and your family to support you."

"That's right!" Ayumi agreed, nodding her head vigorously. "We'll always be here for you, no matter what."

Eri wrapped an arm around Kaogme's stiff shoulders. "Yeah, you don't need that loser!"

"Guys," Kagome wriggled free of Eri's comforting grasp and backed away to properly address them all at once. "There's been a mistake. I'm not – "

CRASH!

The three schoolgirls jumped with a start and spun around to face the spectacle behind them, which was falling through the doorway of the well house.

The pain in Kagome's head throbbed again as she set her sights on Miroku, crumpled into a disorderly heap of flesh and fabric on the ground, with Buyo rubbing contentedly against his legs. He was cocking a half-hearted smile at the quartet of females across the yard and waving with his un-cursed hand.

"_See_?" Ayumi pointed to the sprawled monk. "I _told_ you that I heard two voices!"

"Hmph," Eri crossed her arms beneath her bosom; Kagome glared as a sparkle suddenly twinkled in Miroku's eye. "I guess this explains why we couldn't open the door, then. You were in there bullying Kagome-chan again, weren't you?"

"Ah, ladies, I think there has been a misunderstanding. I am but a humble – "

"Save it, you womanizing pig!" Yuka snapped, stomping over to the felled monk. "We know all about how you treat our friend! On top of the jealousy, the verbal abuse, and chasing after your ex-girlfriend all the time, you've gotten her pregnant, too! What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Ah..."

Eri and Ayumi flanked Yuka on either side, glaring forcefully at the cowering Miroku. "Yeah, _InuYasha_," Eri snarled. "How do you plan to take responsibility for this mess?"

— — —

**Footnotes:**

( 1 ) In Japan, most students aren't allowed to have after school jobs on the basis that they interfere with schoolwork. Thus, they have to get permission from the school before undertaking any part-time work and, generally, are only given said permission if their financial situations are fairly dire.

( 2 ) Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever – a devastating viral disease discovered in Africa (around the Ebola river) that causes its victims to bleed from every orifice on their body. There haven't been any human cases of Ebola in the United States – and no cases at all in Japan – so I'm sure you can get a sense of irony from Yuka's statement.

For more information on Ebola (and other Hemorrhagic fevers/filoviruses; there are quite a few of them), visit the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) website and/or read _The Hot Zone_, by Richard Preston.

— — —

**Authors Notes: **Yay! I finally got it done and posted. Sorry it took so long; I was preparing for my trip 'n whatnot over the last few days. Oh, that and I was procrastinating. There was a lot of that goin on, too...heh.

bBlack Dahlia will be taking control of these chapters for the next couple of weeks and posting them to the group accounts for me. If you have any questions, commentary, or complaints, send them to her until early August.

Anyway, I figured that it wouldn't be completely plausible if her friends suddenly thought she was pregnant halfway through the series so, in order to make Kagome's slight figure still applicable, I set the time line somewhere between manga volume's six and eight, post-Miroku but pre-Sango. I'm sure y'all figured that much out through context clues but, in order to make it clear to absolutely everyone involved, I thought I should say it directly. Who knows if Sango will even appear in this fic...that's totally up to whoever addresses the issue first n.n

Megami

**Next Author Up:** kodokuinara


	2. The Plot Thickens

**Title:** Chronic Condition  
**Author:** kodoku inara  
**Rating:** PG-13 ( T ) – for supposed premarital relations, false (?) teen pregnancy, and lots of other unforseen events in future chapters.  
**Summary:** As Kagome's absences from school grow longer and more frequent, her twentieth-century friends begin to suspect that her grandfathers excuses are merely cover for a single chronic condition. With no more diseases springing to mind, the eldest Higurashi proclaims his granddaughter PREGNANT! With Miroku (in)conveniently around, the situation becomes more complicated...

* * *

**Chapter Two:** The Plot Thickens 

"What! NO! He's not, I mean, I'm not… I mean we're not!"

Even though he wasn't quite sure what she had just said, Miroku nodded his head vigorously in agreement. After all, he was cowering against the tenuous shelter of the well house. He wasn't sure he knew how to pacify these raging females.

In fact the only one who seemed to notice was Yuka. She held out a hand in front of Eri, who seemed to be foaming at the mouth. Miroku wasn't sure if the last girl was eying him in anger or something else a bit more interesting. Before he could decide, however, Yuka turned to Kagome.

"You mean… this isn't Inu Yasha?"

"No, that's Miroku. He's-"

Kagome's words cut off abruptly as she realized she had no explanation for Miroku's strange and disheveled appearance. Unfortunately she just couldn't seem to focus on the situation at hand. Instead her mind seemed to be wandering in unfortunate little circles of thoughts that seemed only to wail and bemoan her recent string of trouble, and the unfairness of it all.

As Kagome got lost trying to figure out if the universe was trying to give her an aneurysm, Miroku decided it was time to get to know these fiery young ladies a bit better. After all who knows how long Kagome would stand there muttering angrily to herself. Ever since Miroku had known her, she had done it at least every couple of days. So Miroku composed himself and put on one of his most charming smiles. (#3)

Unfortunately, it did not have its usual desired effect, because all the young ladies seemed to be staring at Kagome in concern. So, subtlety went flying out the window- he cleared his throat. While this did get the attention of said young ladies, it also appeared that he was not yet on their good sides. Or, at least, that's what the glares now directed at him seemed to say. Unfortunately, his mouth went happily along with the script.  
"Ladies, now that we have that slight misunderstanding cleared up... why don't we…" Ah, there. Mouth shut.

Yuka stepped into his verbal pause, eyebrows raised expectantly.

"And exactly what is your relationship with Kagome-chan, Miroku?"

"I am… that is…" Miroku scrabbled mentally. 'What is my relationship with Kagome-sama?'

"I'm her trusted uh, companion."

"Companion?" Ayumi pondered, "Is that some new-age term like life partner?"

"Well, I wouldn't say life, but I will indeed strive to aid Kagome-sama in all her ventures." At this, all three of the girls gave wistful sighs at his chivalry.

Also, deep in Kagome's brain, all the metal distress that has been plaguing her over the past month suddenly evaporated. And in it's place came a plan, no, a plot. An evil plot of revenge, yes.

"Oh, Miroku!" she cried out as she glomped his cursed arm joyfully. "You have decided to help me!"

This had exactly the desired effect on Miroku. His brain, which had started to be wary of her sudden change of attitude, now became rather muddled in a sea of hormones as her breasts squished delightfully against his bicep. Help her? Of course he would. And he said so.

"Of course, Kagome." He smiled down at her as his other arm snaked stealthily around her trim waist. Yes, she was just the right height for his hand to fit snugly there. Just for safety's sake he withdrew his cursed glove from the embrace and lightly ran his fingers through her hair.

Kagome turned her face to his, a bit confused. But it was too late now. Must continue on with the good work and all. So she mustered up some crocodile tears and turned to her friends.

"I asked him but, because it wasn't his, I wasn't sure he'd agree." She turned her watery and grateful gaze on him. "I should never have doubted you."

'What wasn't mine?' the thought flitted vaguely though his mind before being dismissed. Then any thought was forgotten as the trio clamored over him, insisting that he was 'such a great guy' and pressing "Lamaze pamphlets" into Kagome's hands. Assurances were made that any of them were available to give aid when needed and then they vanished down the stairs, giggling.

Miroku was still trying to figure out exactly what had just happened when Kagome cleverly extricated herself from his arms and started to walk off. Her skirt was doing its delightful little flounce… No, focus!

"Kagome-sama!"  
She stopped and spun to face him. He had never seen quite that expression on her face before and it was quite… unsettling.

"Yes, Miro-kun?" He winced at the nickname.

"Uh, exactly what have I just agreed to do?"

"Oh, just to support me as I bear Inu Yasha's child."

A bit shorter than originally planned, but I blame the incense and the music.  
Current incence: Milk and cookiesRR- Chronic Condition (Rating- PG)  
Chapter 2: The Plot Thickens  
A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this to you- it's just been one heck of a week. Its un-beta'd, raw and fresh off of the plot monkey, who must've been on vacation, darn him. It was a near miss. And now I'm transferring because I do better writing in the middle of the night. And I don't have a computer by my bedside…. Let's hope there's no last minute edits. Mostly from Miroku's POV- duh


	3. Self Sacrifice

**Title:** Chronic Condition  
**Author:** bBlack Dahlia (aka Vonnie)  
**Rating:** PG-13 ( T ) – for supposed premarital relations, false (?) teen pregnancy, and lots of other unforseen events in future chapters.  
**Summary:** As Kagome's absences from school grow longer and more frequent, her twentieth-century friends begin to suspect that her grandfathers excuses are merely cover for a single chronic condition. With no more diseases springing to mind, the eldest Higurashi proclaims his granddaughter PREGNANT! With Miroku (in)conveniently around, the situation becomes more complicated...

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Kagome sulked at the kitchen table. "Why did you have to tell them I was pregnant, grandpa? Couldn't you just say I broke my leg?"

The old man just shrugged. He reached over and patted his granddaughter on the back. "I know you will work through. Higurashi women are strong!"

On the other side of the table Miroku happily munched away on the fish Ms. Higurashi made for dinner. "I know you will get through it, Kagome. I've seen you deal with much worse on the other side of the well. Just please don't subject me to those scary girls again!"

She sent him an evil look.

"What? It's not my fault! Blame Inuyasha! It's his child, remember," he said cheekily.

Mama finally joined them at the table. "We will figure something out, dear. As the months progress we can get you one of those pregnancy bellies like I made your father wear before Souta was born..." She started to think about how she would be able to acquire one.

Kagome and Souta both looked at their mother. "You made dad wear one of those things?" Kagome asked.

"You don't remember, dear?" her mother replied, giggling.

Before long, grandpa had burst into full blown laughter. "My boy looked ridiculous, but it gave him a whole new view on pregnancy! Why do you think you are the only two children?" He cleared his throat. "You should see the pictures!"

Mama looked at Kagome. "Why don't you go set up the spare bedroom for Miroku to sleep in during his stay?"

"Yes, mama." She took her empty plate to the sink before heading up the stairs to the spare room, that was across the hallway from her own.

"So, Miroku," grandpa said merrily," what do you think of the modern world?"

Up in the guest room, Kagome could hear her grandfather and the monk discussing the differences between modern and feudal techniques when it came to caring for shrines, blessings, and grandpa's favorite subject: binding demons.

Still a little more than irritated at the whole situation, she finished changing the linens and fluffed the pillows. Feeling the room was a bit stuffy, she opened the windows.

Pleased with herself and her cleaning skills, she turned to go to her own bedroom; the sight at the door stopped her.  
"Do I look like a modern man?" Miroku stood in the doorway, wearing some of her father's clothes.

"Where did you get those!" she practically shrieked. He looked good in modern clothing, but those were dad's!

He gave her the winning smile. "Your mother gave them to me. Such a sweet and beautiful woman!" He sighed for dramatic effect. "If only she were a few years younger..."

"You can change the clothes, but you can't change the man." She brushed passed him on the way to her room.

"Hey, Kagome," he said, turning to face her. "I can help you solve the no child factor in this 'pregnancy'."

"How?" she enquired.

"I will bravely sacrifice myself, and your virginity," he added in a lower tone, "so we may have a child!"

She smacked him with every bit of strength she could muster.

-----

Later on that evening, Miroku lay in the bed Kagome set for him. He still couldn't believe he was in her time. Everything fascinated him, especially the microwave and indoor plumbing . He still couldn't wrap his mind around the indoor spring Souta called the bathroom. Bathing back home would never compare to sitting in the large tub; now he knew why Kagome loved coming home all of the time! He had never felt so relaxed!

He pulled himself out of bed to go to the bathroom. Sliding on the borrowed pair of sleep pants to cover his nude form, he opened the door. From across the hall he could hear a faint sobbing.

Never being able to handle a woman's tears he approached the door and knocked. "Kagome?"

"Go away, Miroku," she said in between sobs.

Also never one to do as he was told, he cracked the door open and slid into the room. He took in her tired appearance, eyes red and swollen from crying. Cautiously he walked over to the bed and sat down with her. "Are you still upset about what I said earlier?"

She shook her head. "I wish I could figure out a way to fix this. Why does grandpa always have to get so carried away with his stories? Doesn't he realize everyone we know will look down upon us?"

He took the weeping girl into his arms. "Many girls younger than you have already started families in my time, and they are perfectly respectable."  
"But this is my time, and people will look down on us regardless." She had stopped sobbing, but tears still ran down her face. "Even though there is no baby."

He brushed her hair out of her face. "You are a strong capable woman. Between you, me, and your family we will think of something."

She pulled out of his embrace. "Who are you, and what happened to the pervert?"

Miroku smiled kindly. "He ran away when he heard you crying."

She wasn't sure if she should blush at the sweetness of the statement or smack him and call him a sneaky pervert. "Go to bed, Miroku."

Before he left the room, he popped his head back in and winked. "My offer still stands! I'm right across the hall!"

Laughing, she threw her pillow at him, disappointed he shut the door before the pillow hit him in the face.

— — —

Authors Note: I'm about as pleased with this as I"m going to get, had to do some last minute editing.

Hope it's ok!

V.

— — —

Sorry that it took so long to get this chapter out, dearest readers. We were having...difficulties with author participation, forcing us to reduce our author list by half. This took a couple weeks worth of tinkering, making us unfortunately late for our deadline.

We've got it all sorted out now, however, so there's nothing keeping us from making our regular deadlines from henceforth! Our next author is **Sabrina**. Have fun and do your best!

Megami


	4. Breaking the News

**Title: **Chronic Condition  
**Author:** Sabrina**  
Rating:** PG-13 ( T ) – for supposed premarital relations, false (?) teen pregnancy, and lots of  
other unforseen events in future chapters.  
**Summary:** As Kagome's absences from school grow longer and more frequent, her twentieth-  
century friends begin to suspect that her grandfathers excuses are merely cover for a single  
chronic condition. With no more diseases springing to mind, the eldest Higurashi proclaims his  
granddaughter PREGNANT! With Miroku (in)conveniently around, the situation becomes more  
complicated...

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Kagome rolled over in defiance, as she felt the first rays of the wicked sun beat down mercilessly on her eyes. She tried to protect her safe haven by covering them with her hand, a pillow, a blanket, and even with her miniature stuffed white 'sailor moon' cat, yet each and every object had been removed from it's station and all (but her hand) had disappeared without a trace. Kagome whimpered as she soon felt an extremely cold, gust of breeze perhaps… breeze?

"But I didn't leave my window open," she stated as she opened her eyes to see golden ones staring her down. All of a sudden, Kagome felt like shrinking away into her bed. Somehow, in the midst of her turbulent day she had forgotten about the irritated hanyou above her, sure she had said that he was the father and all that but truthfully, she hadn't thought about what his reaction might be to the big news. 'Great Kagome now you're starting to think this baby is real I mean he doesn't even think of you like that!'

She put on a sincere smile and decided to try to test the waters with the hanyou, remembering that her return was only to retrieve a forgotten shard and to get some more supplies and then to hurry right back. She gulped as she stared into those piercing eyes trying to mask her fear, and failing miserably. "Um… well… hi InuYasha. What are you doing here, in the my time, so bright and early in the morning?"

"You know damned well what I'm doing here!" he ripped the sheets off of her as she shrieked in surprise. He pinned her with a death glare before speaking again. "This morning I noticed you weren't back yet and that damned monk was missing and when I saw your bag by the well I came to take you back so we can search for more shards."

"But… I've barely…" Kagome stuttered out as a very cheerful monk stumbled through the door. His eyes were closed and his hands behind his head as he gave Kagome a sight to behold making her blush at the sight of his bare chest. 'I wonder why I didn't notice he wasn't wearing a shirt last night.'

"How is my pregnant mistress doing this morning!" As soon as the words left his mouth Miroku felt a suffocating ominous presence surround him. He opened his violet orbs as his blood ran cold in fear. Miroku took a slow step backward toward the open door and his only choice for escape seeing as the advancing InuYasha blocked the window. "Oh hello, InuYasha… it's nice to see you…could you stay there for a moment. Kagome, I know it's early but could you please"

She looked at InuYasha about to pounce and rip out the monk's throat. She stood and glared at Miroku but settled on helping him out, after all her precious sleep had been disturbed and someone had to suffer for that. "Sit boy. Miroku how stupid can you, sit, be? Don't you know to knock or at least, sit, look at the inhabitants of the room before, sit, saying something dangerously stupid like, sit, that? And you haven't even been in my time, sit, for two whole days. Now sit and explain the situation to InuYasha. Oh sorry for that last sit I didn't mean to say sit …"

"Like that's very damned reassuring." He glared up at her as the floor around him began to crack.

"You know what, I need to start getting ready for school. When SHE get back…" Kagome never got to finish her sentence, her mother came in with a light chuckle at the situation the boys had gotten themselves in by 'ruining' her daughters dreams. But all in all she counted it all as fine, her daughter was always like this in the morning and she must have been having a great dream.

By the time, Kagome left for school she had yelled out 12 random 'sits' for the hell of it and 5 that were actually instigated by InuYasha. She realized that she was being a little mean, but she needed to vent. Taking out her anger on her grandfather well it just might kill him, but InuYasha was durable and would be able to take it. So taking out her anger on InuYasha was perfectly acceptable, it solved some of her frustrations and it would teach him to wake her up from such a great dream. All day even with her friends' questions about her condition, awkward stares from her teachers, her mind kept wandering back to her dream. Her friends passed her spacey behavior was caused by her hormones taking over her brain, though Kagome laughed at how it was crazy it was…oh no not just because she wasn't pregnant, also because of the mere fact that hormones don't take over your mind. Dreams do take over your mind, only the really extreme ones though be they extremely bad or extremely good, they could make you relive them over and over again until they make you just wish and wish and wish. She wished her dream could come true, but it was just a wish for that was just a dream she sighed once again looking forward at the teacher as the bell rang allowing for her solemn escape. Once again, she remembered the vivid vision of being stranded on a private island surrounded by the beautiful models all those beautiful male models bringing her tropical drinks as she soaked in hot springs and oh, Miroku was feeding her oden… Ok while she wasn't ready to admit that the prospect was thoroughly, that wouldn't stop her from thinking about it. But heaven knows why she was dreaming about Miroku feeding her oden that possition was normally filled by InuYasha. The dream taunted her as it stood out of her reach so very tempting… maybe she could…no she promised InuYasha the jewel.

"Kagome is something wrong?" Eri held Kagome's arm giving it a tight squeeze as they walked out to the school's courtyard. "Maybe you should come with us and hang out at the mall a bit. Enjoy yourself in what's left of your youth. There is this cool new restaurant where they have these great deserts and they also have ode!"

Kagome knew they were baiting her and was about to refuse when she notice two men standing by the gate out of the corner of her eye. Seeing as they looked oddly enough like, like a more modern version of InuYasha and Miroku, but no it really couldn't be. After all InuYasha had been to this era tons of times and had never worn modern clothing once, and the man though having silver hair tied back to reveal a subduing necklace around his neck couldn't be him. He was clearly dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt with a jeans jacket over it and InuYasha would never subject himself to such restrictive clothing. Not to mention he was wearing his baseball cap backwards though that could be counted to the girl hanging off of him. And she just couldn't see Miroku as the type to wear a pink button up shirt with black leather pants and purple tie… well the tie maybe but a pink shirt! Though she had to admit he looked good with his hasher down, it looked so soft and silky as the girls ran their hand's through it…She sighed as she realized this was as close as she was ever going to get to her dream anytime time soon.

"Come on Kagome We can even check out some maternity stores!" Yuka smiled down at her, she had attached herself to her friends arm as she and Eri dragged her along to the gate. "Besides we already told Houjo that we'd meet him at Sugar Honey as soon as we got out."

Ayumi followed along behind the trio while she carried her friend's bags. "We thought that it would give you a chance to break the news o him yourself, after all it would be too impersonal for us to tell him."

"Break what news to who?" Miroku managed to make his way out of the crowd and snake his arm around Ayumi causing them all to halt their mission if only but a moment.

"Good you're here you can help break the news to poor Houjo!" Yuka grabbed his hand and was about to pull them away when InuYasha put a hand on her shoulder stopping her dead in her tracks. "Um, who are you and how would you like to be castrated"

InuYasha took a few steps back as he stared at Yuka with wide eyes. "Kagome, we came to take you home."

"And who are you?" piped up Ayumi her eyes narrowed at the hanyou.

"Not that it matters but I'm Inu," he began, returning her glare with his own.

"Taisho!" Kagome interrupted motioning to InuYasha with a nervous smile. She knew that her friends would wonder why her ex-boyfriend would come to take her home after just abandoning she and her child and she really didn't want to go into that right now so she just came up with the first name that came to mind. But where did she here that name before? "Yeah this is Inu Taisho, he and Miroku are close friends."

InuYasha just gave me a half hearted 'feh' before staring off into the direction of a group of wide eyed giggling girls who were going on and on about the silver haired hottie. He didn't even bother try to protest, Kagome looked at him strangely trying to figure out what could be wrong with him by now she had expected him to just grab her and drag her back to the shard hunt. She was about to say something to get them a subtle escape when Eri narrowed her eyes and suspiciously inquired, "What kind of name is Inu Taisho?"

When all he did was shrug, she knew something was wrong. She couldn't figure out what it could be. Had she broken InuYasha? She would never be able to forgive herself if she had. But while she and her friends were distracted, Miroku managed to grab Kagome's arm and lead her off startling her out of her thoughts. She stared up at the young man a question buzzing around in her mind, but how could she go about asking it, it wasn't a hard question but…

"Kagome is something on your mind that you'd like to share with me," Kagome blushed when he turned to look into her eyes only then realizing she had been staring. She felt compelled to do something as she noticed the small smile play over his lips, as they stood alone in this alleyway they somehow found themselves in.

"Well can I ask you a question Miroku, that is if you don't mind." She couldn't help but look down at her feet, after all her brown loafers were just so intresting. She could have beaten herself up especially after his reply of 'yes you can bear my children.' She was, or had at least been before, a decent respectable young girl with a good reputation and grades to die for. She should be acting like this… This was how Eri acted when she was with a guy, never good little Kagome. And why was she like this even more of all with Miroku? "No you hentai…I want to know how you got him into modern clothing."

"Well it was your mother," he gave an airy chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head and leaned against the alley wall. "She threatened him with never getting him ramen again and also reminded him of your mood this morning promising him it would be worse if he did not try to fit in when coming to school to see you. I on the other hand didn't need any convincing. After all it is for you Kagome, and this is a minor sacrifice on the road to having you bear…"

"There you two are come on now, Houjo is waiting for us!" Yuka grabbed Kagome's arm while Eri took a hold of Miroku's and with InuYasha and Ayumi trailing a little ways behind them they soon found themselves traveling on their way to the mall with no certain means of escape that wouldn't arouse suspicions among her friends and with that Kagome could help but think right back to her dream.

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry that this is so late but I hope you all like it.

— — —

Ditto. Since Sabrina wasn't alerted properly (my fault), I gave her some extra time to finish up her chapter. I'm **_so _**sorry that this had to be late.

Up next...tru tiger.

Megami


	5. Shaken, Not Stirred

**Title: **Chronic Condition  
**Author:** trutiger  
**Rating: **PG-13 (T) – for supposed premarital relations, false (?) teen pregnancy, and lots of other  
unforseen events in future chapters.  
**Summary:** As Kagome's absences from school grow longer and more frequent, her twentieth-  
century friends begin to suspect that her grandfather's excuses are merely cover for a single  
chronic condition. With no more diseases springing to mind, the eldest Higurashi proclaims his  
granddaughter PREGNANT! With Miroku (in)conveniently around, the situation becomes more  
complicated . . .

**Note:** This chapter tries to summarize the previous chapters and tie up lose ends while leading up  
to a big cliffhanger. Kagome is trying to make sense of everything that has happened.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

**Chapter 5:** Shaken, Not Stirred

Kagome imagined herself as one of those numbered balls in the Takara-kuji ( 1 ) lottery drawings,  
bouncing all over the place at high speed with no control over where she went. Between having  
her life planned for her by her family and friends and the jumble of thoughts in her own head, she  
felt more discombobulated the last couple of days than if she were going over Niagara Falls in a  
wooden barrel.

Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi hurried everyone to the nearest Tokyo Metro station to catch the next train  
to the Shibuya ( 2 ) shopping district across town. They pushed and shoved everyone aboard upon  
one of the cars like cowboys herding cattle. Kagome, Miroku, and Inuyasha were too  
overwhelmed to protest much among the bustling crowds of people. Miroku was fascinated by all  
the unfamiliar sights that he silently gaped in awe as he was ushered about, unable to form a  
coherent thought or question. Inuyasha, on the other hand, was so overcome by the noxious odors  
and sounds of the station that he could only manage to put one hand over his nose and the other  
over his ears in an attempt to fend off an inevitable headache. Fortunately for Kagome and  
company, this preoccupied him from launching into a barrage of complaints or destroying the  
place. Also to Kagome's relief, Miroku and Inuyasha happened to get seated next to her on the  
train, instead of next to her friends. Even in her state, Kagome still had enough where-with-all to  
worry what would happen if her friends inundated either of them with questions. Heaven forbid  
if Miroku or Inuyasha accidentally made reference to the well, demons, or Naraku! The three  
friends managed to sit together a few rows away, no doubt strategizing on what would happen  
next in the shopping expedition / journey to meet Hojo.

The ride across town gave Kagome a few moments to reflect on all the crazy things that had  
happened since her eventful return home. She tried not to have a panic attack as she worked to  
make sense of things. She mentally compiled a list of facts and unanswered questions, and what  
she was able to come up with was that:

1. Miroku somehow was able to magically go through the well to her time. The significance,  
if any, of why this happened now, and not before, remained unknown. Did Buddha intend  
for Miroku to remedy Japan's declining birth rate by asking all the young women of  
modern Tokyo to bear his child? ( 3 )

2. Grandpa came up with the ridiculous idea that she was pregnant to explain away her  
frequent (and anticipated) absences from school. Her mom, surprisingly, was going along  
with it instead of being freaked out that her daughter was going to be the shame of the  
family -- not to mention a grandmother herself at so young an age! Mom had some kind  
of device that would make Kagome look pregnant. No thought yet on what was going to  
happen nine months from now when she needed a baby to show everyone. Would she  
pretend the "baby" was stillborn, or would she dress up and parade Buyo as her child to  
all the friends and neighbors?

3. Inuyasha supposedly was the father of this "baby." How in the world were they going to  
tell him about this outrageous plan, especially since she couldn't hide the fact she would be  
wearing the "pregnancy belly" every time she came home to her time? She didn't think he'd  
buy it if she told him she was gaining weight from eating too much Pocky. On top of  
that, how were they going to keep him from going ballistic once they told him?

4. She had the weirdest dream last night! Involving Miroku! Barely clothed and feeding her  
oden! And it was surprisingly . . . not unenjoyable. What was that about! Kagome  
quickly tried to dismiss it as just her subconscious trying to deal with Miroku's  
miraculously appearance in her time and his serving as the surrogate father to her "baby."

Part of her felt disloyal to Inuyasha for having such thoughts, and she had enough on her  
plate as it was without trying to figure out why she was having sexy dreams about the  
monk, no matter how intriguing said dreams were. Why was it so difficult to stop  
thinking about this?

By the time the train reached their stop, Kagome bit off all her fingernails and gave up any hope  
of ever having a beautiful manicure. As if fighting demons day in and day out didn't do enough  
to ruin that, she thought.

Once at the Shibuya station, Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi excitedly appeared again in front of their  
companions and shuffled them off the train. Yuka and Eri took charge of Kagome and Miroku up  
front, while Ayumi escorted Inuyasha from the rear. On the way to the street, Ayumi, ever the  
smart one, tried to make small talk and managed to make an astute observation.

"Inu Taisho. That sounds an awful lot like the name of Kagome's ex-boyfriend. Isn't that a  
coincidence? Wasn't his name Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha managed to uncover his nose and mouth long enough to say, "Inuyasha IS my name. I  
don't know this Inu Taisho you're talking about."

Ayumi gasped, "You're the father of Kagome's baby?"

As everyone suddenly stopped dead in their tracks, Kagome wished she could run home and  
jump back down the well into the Feudal Era. Forget about breaking the news to Hojo -- how was  
she going to break the news to Inuyasha? In front of everyone?

— — —

**Author's Notes / References:**

1) Takara-kuji is the name of the lottery in Japan. Read more about it at www . lotteryinsider .  
com / lottery / japan . htm.

2) Shibuya supposedly is a shopping district in Tokyo popular with young people. My feeble  
attempt at developing the setting of the story. I imagined the group going across town on the  
subway, and the Shibuya district seemed like it was across town from the Asakusa district, which  
has a lot of shrines like the one Kagome lives in. You can check it out on www . japan-guide .  
com / e / e2164 . html. I've never been to Japan, so I know I'm treading on thin ice here. Forgive  
me.

3) It's true – women in Japan aren't having enough babies. To read the latest, see http / news .  
bbc . co . uk / 2 / hi / asia-pacific / 5273282 . stm .

— — —

Ahh, many thanks to trutiger for sending in her RR chapter! I know that all of these chapters  
are a little slow in coming, but they're all worth the wait, yes?

Also, on another note, I'd like to give personal thanks to tt for adding a title to her chapter. Not  
that it's mandatory for a RR author to include a title for their chapter, but I appreicate not having  
to do it for them all the same

For those of you interested in looking at tt's links, be sure to take the extra spaces out when you  
copy-and-paste the address(es) into your browser. Since doesn't allow actual links to  
appear in stories (for some reason unknown to me) I had to edit the links with extra spacing just  
so they would show up at all. Sorry about that.

Up Next...tenshibellaluna!

Megami


	6. Unanticipated Revelations

**Title: **Chronic Condition  
**Author:** tenshibellaluna  
**Rating:** PG-13 (T) – for supposed premarital relations, false (?) teen pregnancy, and lots of other unforseen events in future chapters.  
**Summary:** As Kagome's absences from school grow longer and more frequent, her twentieth-century friends begin to suspect that her grandfather's excuses are merely cover for a single chronic condition. With no more diseases springing to mind, the eldest Higurashi proclaims his granddaughter PREGNANT! With Miroku (in)conveniently around, the situation becomes more complicated . . .

**UPDATE:** The ending to the previous chapter -- "Shaken, Not Stirred" -- has been changed. Since much of what occurs in this chapter hinges on this revision, you might want to go back and re-read the last few paragraphs of chapter 5. Thanks and sorry for the confusion! (My fault.)

-- Megami

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**Chapter 6:** Unanticipated Revelations

You would have thought that World War III had just broken out by all the noise coming from the Shibuya station. After the instant shock of Inuyasha's abrupt announcement, Yuka, Eri and Ayumi shrieked and jumped at Inuyasha. They bombarded him with question after question, insult after insult. Inuyasha himself looked honestly thrown off by the girls' sudden explosion of emotions. Just what the heck had Kagome been telling these weird girls about him?

"How dare you show your ugly, rotten face around Kagome-chan?"

"And just what do you plan to do? Are you going to run away to your other lover?"

"Who do you think you are, abandoning Kagome-chan and your future child?"

"W-w-what?" Inuyasha finally exploded back at them. "What the hell do you mean by 'future child'?"

Kagome wanted to die. Humiliated, she turned to look upwards. She prayed hoping the gods would strike her down now and end it all then and there. Explaining things to her friends was one thing, but trying to sort this out with Inuyasha was going to be almost impossible, especially with the girls there, not to mention being in the middle of the busy station. Kagome was seriously starting to consider that she must have done something horrible in her past life for all of this bad karma to be following her around.

Miroku however could not be more amused. He smiled as he watched the strong tough, half-demon Inuyasha get torn a new one by three teenage girls. It really was a fantastic show. He idly wondered if the thing that Kagome called 'popcorn' would be appropriate for such an occasion. However he was soon jarred from his musings when the three girls all fell into line on either side of him.

"Look at Miroku, such a strong, brave and kind person!" Yuka said as she pushed the monk forward a bit.  
"Yeah that's right. He's being kind enough to help Kagome through all this since you abandoned her!" Eri agreed.

"Like I said before…what the hell are you talking about?" Inuyasha shouted, his anger mounting.

"Go on Miroku," Ayumi pushed. "Tell him!"

Miroku paused, looking at the three girls, then glanced briefly at Kagome, who looked like she was going to find a cliff to jump off of. He wasn't sure if what he was about to do was going to help her any, but it was certainly going to be amusing.

"They're correct Inuyasha," Miroku said as he cleared his throat and stepped forward.

The monk and the half-demon stood face to face, Miroku's eyes filled with joy and amusement while Inuyasha's stared back with anger and contempt. Kagome finally turned her attention back to this sight. She silently prepared to bring out the 'sits' if Inuyasha tried anything, and she prayed to god that Miroku wasn't about to do something stupid.

And of course, he was.

"Inuyasha, your abandonment of Kagome-sama and your unborn child is appalling," Miroku continued. "Even worse, you dare to show your face to her after running off with Kikyo again. Kagome-sama has been nothing but loyal to you and loved you with all her heart, but again and again you betrayed and abused her trust and faith in you! I will no longer stand idly by as you torment her in such a way!"

As he spoke, Miroku was shocked by how strong the words pouring out of him were. He had only meant to tease Inuyasha, but what he said couldn't be truer, well aside from the baby part. All the things that he was launching out at the half-demon were things he really felt, and he meant every word. For months now he had watched Kagome follow Inuyasha around; helping him, loving him, missing him, crying for him. Kagome was no weakling. She was strong, but she was still only human. He had watched painfully as Inuyasha left her alone for Kikyo. He could practically feel her heart break apart bit by bit each time he left.

Kagome stared in awe, stunned by Miroku's words. Was he only playing along with her grandfather's game or were his words more truthful than that? Had he really watched her that closely when they were together? When Inuyasha left she always felt so empty, so alone…but was that really the case? Was she really, truly alone?

Looking over at Inuyasha, Kagome could see that his anger was coming to its boiling point. If Miroku didn't stop soon the whole of Shibuya might be destroyed. She hurried over to the monk's side and grabbed his arm gently.

Miroku, shaken out of his speech by Kagome's touch, looked down at her with wide eyes. Had he really just voiced all of those inner thoughts? Kagome was looking back up at him with a weak, almost watery smile on her face. He suddenly felt horribly guilty. His expression of shock faded into one of apology.

"Miroku…thank you," she whispered softly so that only he could hear, a silent moment passing between the two.  
They were abruptly shaken from this moment when Inuyasha finally unleashed all the anger that had been building up within him this whole time.

"Kagome, Miroku, what the hell are you two trying to pull here? What is all of this about a baby? What baby?" Inuyasha exploded.

Yuka, Eri and Ayumi who had all been frozen in awe of Miroku's heroic speech snapped back into action, ready with another barrage of questions for Inuyasha. Kagome, however beat them to the punch.

"Inuyasha, sit!" she called and Inuyasha as per usual, went crashing to the ground. Kagome then turned and smiled sweetly at her three friends. "I'm sorry girls, but it looks like I have to deal with this. I'll meet with Hojo another time."

"But Kagome-chan…" Ayumi said nervously as she starred down at Inuyasha.

"Don't worry ladies," Miroku cut in. "I will most certainly be there for Kagome-sama."

Somewhat relieved, the three girls nodded and left.

And then there were three…

— — —

**A/N:** Huzzah, Huzzah! Here's chapter six. This is actually my first time writing anything Kagome/Miroku related. I've had plenty of plot bunnies bouncing around, but nothing complete. I hope that this will prove worthy of the RR and I hope everyone enjoyed it!

Wheeee! I finally got to write a chapter! I was really surprised by how quickly this came out. I thought I might really struggle with it, but everything seemed to flow out nicely. I hope everyone enjoyed it and I can't see what the next chapter holds for Miroku and Kagome!

— — —

Ah, and it came out so fast, too! Impressive, very impressive...thanks a bunch for your contribution!

And the cliffhanger...does this mean that the gauntlet has been thrown? Well, we'll just have to wait and see.

Up Next...Sada Dano

After her, it's MY turn again n.n Woo hoo!

Megami


	7. You Don't Deserve Her!

**Title: **Chronic Condition  
**Author:** Megami no Eien  
**Rating:** PG-13 (T) – for supposed premarital relations, false (?) teen pregnancy, and lots of other unforseen events in future chapters.  
**Summary:** As Kagome's absences from school grow longer and more frequent, her twentieth-century friends begin to suspect that her grandfather's excuses are merely cover for a single chronic condition. With no more diseases springing to mind, the eldest Higurashi proclaims his granddaughter PREGNANT! With Miroku (in)conveniently around, the situation becomes more complicated . . .

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

**Chapter 7:** You Don't Deserve Her!

"You...bastard!" the growl bubbled up in InuYasha's throat like bile as he lay prone and helpless on the ground, watching the shifty monk he should have killed months ago _touch_ Kagome. The intimate couple were waving their goodbyes to that pack of ravenous she-wolves that Kagome was stupid enough to call her friends, assuring them with forced smiles that everything was under control.

From his vantage point, forgotten and ignored in the background, InuYasha monitored Miroku's notorious hand, positioned precariously on Kagome's lower back. The half-demon dug his claws into the concrete floor as he silently vowed to break every finger that slipped into forbidden territory, "accidental" or not.

What really, truly enraged InuYasha, however, was that this sacrilegious pile of kitsune shit dared to lay official claim on a woman whom the hanyou had loved for over half a century, in one form or another. As if a few months spent in their shard-hunting group – after nearly kidnaping Kagome and her jewel shard, too – had given him the license to...to...Well, if Kagome were really pregnant, and InuYasha knew himself not to be the father (how _could_ he be?), then that meant that Miroku had...already...

The curse began to lift as the inu-hanyou's hackles rose, allowing him flex his aching muscles in anticipation. The pressure on InuYasha's spine, the final vestiges of his subjugation, gradually alleviated itself and he rose up on all-fours. His joints trembled under the strain, but InuYasha ground his teeth together and forced his will to keep him aloft. It grew easier every passing second and, soon, he would be able to pounce on the womanizing monk that was dropping his unattended fingers beyond accepted boundaries...

"_Don't touch her, pervert!_" was InuYasha's battle-cry as the spell finally wore off completely, returning to him the freedom to murder the unsuspecting "holy" man.

Startled, the pair turned around, breaking Miroku's contact with Kagome abruptly. Half an instant later, the monk was pinned to the ground with his chest trapped between InuYasha's knees, gasping for the air viciously expelled from his lungs.

"You bastard! _Pervert_!" InuYasha barked, lifting Miroku up by the front of his shirt to snarl in his face. Everything was becoming hazy, tinted in red, and the small bit of rationality in the back of InuYasha's mind half-suspected that – in the absence of the Tetsuseiga – his demon blood was rising to the surface. Not that he cared.

"InuYasha! NO!"

Amidst the loud shuffling of feet and alarmed voices of countless humans, InuYasha could almost distinguish Kagome's voice. He caught a whiff of her scent, as well, but his sharpened senses were muddled by the sheer volume of people surrounding them on all sides.

Oh well, even _she_ wouldn't be able to stop him. InuYasha had already decided: the monk had to die.

"What the hell did you do to Kagome, asshole? She's pregnant and I_ know_ you had something to do with it!" InuYasha punctuated his accusation by shaking Miroku by the front of his shirt, causing the monk's head to whip back and forth like a broken doll.

"Kagome-chan! NO!"

"Let me go, Yuka! Stop – no, Eri, LET GO!"

"No, stay out of it, Kagome, or you'll get hurt!"

"But – "

"Augh! Ayumi, hold her legs!"

The voices grew smaller and smaller until all InuYasha could hear through the throbbing current of demon blood was a wordless shrieking. Once the last hint of Kagome's presence was gone, everything but Miroku's bobbing head was drowned out in the rush of bloodlust that consumed him.

His attention had hardly wavered from the prey trapped between his legs. "Talk, Bozou! What the hell did you do to her?"

Miroku mouthed a few soundless words that the hanyou couldn't comprehend. In response, InuYasha bashed his head into the floor and then repeated his question.

"What the hell did you _do_? Answer, you thieving pervert!"

"I...," the single syllable trembled from Miroku's lips as he collected his scattered wits. "You...don't deserve...her."

With another vicious snarl, InuYasha reintroduced the back of the monk's skull to the cracked pavement. "_I_ don't deserve her? Who was the one who got her pregnant, eh?"

Miroku's eyes were half-lidded as he fought to maintain his consciousness. "Not..."

"Like _hell_ you didn't!" InuYasha barked, pressing his palms against the monk's throat. He could feel Miroku gulping desperately for air as life was slowly wrangled away from him. "Hasn't it been your mission from the day we _met_ your sorry ass to squeeze a kid out of Kagome? There's no telling how many women you've fed that stupid 'bear my children' line to! How many more are like Kagome, eh? How many brats do you already have out there? _Answer_, Monk!"

Miroku couldn't even form words any longer, only incoherent gurgles from deep within his collapsing throat. His eyes were rolled back in his head and the desperate hands that had once been fighting to defend his breathing facilities were growing limp. In only a few more seconds, they would fall and the bastard would be dead.

"InuYasha, NO!"

"Kagome-chan, don't – "

"I'M NOT PREGNANT!"

— — —

**Authors Note: **How d'you like THAT cliffhanger, eh? n.n

We haven't had a chapter yet from InuYasha's POV, so I thought it might be interesting to do my chapter this way. I had a lot of fun, but I'm not used to writing aggressive characters like this. Male characters, yes, but aggressive, no. Thus, I hope that my characterization was good (I even tried to insert a little bit of InuYasha into the body paragraphs and not just the dialogue), but I understand if it's not. Drop me a line and let me know; I'd like to work on it if I need to.

I'd also like to remind all readers and authors that – as stipulated in the initial chapter – this story is set pre-Sango, so she hasn't been introduced into the love triangle yet.

Okay, we're all the way back to the beginning of the list, so **kodokuinara **is up next. So sorry for this chapter being late, but Sada Dano appears to have dropped off the face of the Earth and I haven't had the time lately to sit down with any of my own projects for longer than a few minutes at a time. I did my best to get it in on a day that I wouldn't be rushed to turn in a half-assed attempt, which meant that I had to get through this weeks worth of homework first. Again, I'm sorry that it took so long.

Megami


	8. Echoing Guilt

**Title: **Chronic Condition  
**Author:** bBlack Dahlia (Vonnie)  
**Rating:** PG-13 (T) – for supposed premarital relations, false (?) teen pregnancy, and lots of other unforseen events in future chapters.  
**Summary:** As Kagome's absences from school grow longer and more frequent, her twentieth-century friends begin to suspect that her grandfather's excuses are merely cover for a single chronic condition. With no more diseases springing to mind, the eldest Higurashi proclaims his granddaughter PREGNANT! With Miroku (in)conveniently around, the situation becomes more complicated . . .

* * *

**Chapter 8: **Echoing Guilt

"What?" the three shocked girls asked all at once, and the hanyou let go of Miroku's body.

Kagome's eyes began to fill with tears. I'm...not...pregnant," she said softly, giving the information time to really sink in. "It was grandpa who came up with the lie to give me a reason for my absences. I'm sorry."

Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi let go of Kagome. She flew toward Inuyasha and he thought she was running to him, but felt like he had been slapped when she passed by and went to the monk's unconscious form on the ground behind him. He watched as she gently brushed his hair away from his forehead and began to wipe the blood from his face with the sleeve of her shirt.

No longer able to take the sight in front of him he fled the station, not quite sure where he would go. He just wanted to be away. _'You...don't deserve...her.'_ The monk's broken words kept repeating in his head, over and over. It made him wonder if his words were true.

Brushing the thought away he knew it wasn't true. Kagome was his girl, no one else's, and Miroku was an idiot if he thought he would ruin his second chance. He failed with Kikyo. Kagome carried Kikyo's soul. He would right his wrong.

When he finally stopped running he surveyed his surroundings. The shrine.

Miroku's words came crashing back to him. _'You...don't deserve...her.'_

"Aahhh! Shut up!" he screamed, crouching low and holding his head. A few visitors looked at him like he had lost his mind. He stood and eyed the people, his eyes flickering red, before leaping into the Goshinboku.

He had completely lost track of time, lost in his own thoughts of Kikyo, Kagome, and the echoing words that wouldn't leave him alone.

From his high perch he watched Kagome and those three horrible girls half carry half drag Miroku into the house. "Do I deserve her? Was he right all along?" Giving up on thought, he settled for what he did best: pouting.

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**Megami Notes:** Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. I've been alternately busy and lazy, soo...yeah. The interest for this story has kind of wound down, so I'll write a quick ending and post it soon. Expect to see it sometime over the Thanksgiving break.

Megami


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